For the second game in a row, Oakland’s starting pitcher had trouble keeping the ball in the park, not a real savvy approach.
The power-happy Orioles belted four homers off Chris Smith, back in the rotation after a week and a half absence, to punctuate a 7-2 victory in the first of a four-game series at the Coliseum. At 50-65, the A’s are back to a season-low 15 games below .500, and their start is their worst since the 1997 club went 44-71.
The previous day, Jharel Cotton allowed the Mariners three homers. Smith’s accounted for fewer runs, though, because all four were solo shots, two sets of blasts on consecutive pitches.